Agility
Power
Speed
Strength
The above characteristics are what come to the forefront of the mind when thinking about traits of a good athlete; but how do these athletes achieve them? Three words, sports-specific training. It has long been known that athletes will supplement their God-given talent with strength training to create brute strength and increased power. Strength training alone; however, will not increase your technique, efficiency, and bio-mechanical advantage within your specific sport. Achieving these traits can only come through sport-specific training.
What does sports-specific training look like vs. conventional strength training, you ask? The main difference is the knowledge of biomechanics, and how your body is working to be as efficient and powerful as it can be in your specific sport. One example, specifically in the golf swing, would be getting stronger with squats or deadlifts. There isn’t a direct correlation between increased club head speed or distance. In other words, just because you can squat 500 lbs doesn’t mean that will necessarily translate to increased club head speed and longer drives. This could be due to lacking body awareness of how your pelvis is working within the swing; causing you to early extend and lose speed and power. Increased strength and power; within sports is only valuable if they can be correlated into increasing your body’s own efficiency. Take Jon Rahm, one of the top five players in the world, for example. Jon’s limited hip flexibility and history of club foot on his right leg has been linked as a reason for his truncated backswing. However, he learned to create power and efficiency elsewhere in his swing. Everyone talks about increasing width and rotation within the golf swing to “create more power”, but Jon uses his body more efficiently than almost any other player on tour. Driving the ball over 300 yards with a short backswing goes against conventional teaching, right? What Jon has in his corner is sports-specific trainers, TPI certified professionals, who not only helped him get stronger but did not try to change his body, but allowed him to become more efficient, and therefore improved his overall distance and performance.
Sports-specific training is weight training. The main difference is that you cannot simply lift heavier weights and expect that to automatically correlate to improved performance without specifically looking at how your own individual body works. That’s where certified professionals who have knowledge and backgrounds in biomechanics of the body, and biomechanics of the specific sports movement can be very valuable. They can not only get you stronger but also potentially show you things about how your body is moving or not moving to unlock new potential within you. This could improve overall speed, power, and performance within your particular sport.
The key takeaway is if you are an athlete don’t simply lift weights to improve your game. Take the next step in your development and see a certified professional who can assess your individual ability, and can create a specific plan for you to improve. This will not only allow you to become stronger but can also give you good feedback on how your body is moving or should be moving within your specific sport to improve your overall performance.
- Cory Powell, Titleist Performance Specialist